Tá Lả / Phỏm Rules

Overview

Tá Lả (Phỏm) is a Vietnamese rummy-style game for 4 players using a standard 52-card deck. The goal is to form phỏm (melds) and minimize leftover deadwood points. Lowest score wins; Ù (all cards melded) wins immediately.

Deal

• Each player receives 9 cards.
• The first player of the round receives a 10th card and must discard to start.
• Play continues clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on room settings.

Melds (Phỏm)

• Sảnh (run): 3+ consecutive ranks of the same suit (e.g. 5♥ 6♥ 7♥).
• Bộ (set): 3 or 4 cards of the same rank (e.g. 9♣ 9♦ 9♥).
• Optional house rule: allow wrapping Q–K–A as a run.

Turn structure

1. Draw from the stock, or ăn (eat) the previous player’s discard if it completes a meld with cards from your hand.
2. Discard one card face-up.
3. Eaten cards must later be included in a declared meld; you cannot break an eaten meld.

Final turn · Hạ · Gửi

• After enough live discards (chốt), you enter the final turn: you must hạ phỏm (lay melds face-up) before your final discard if you have melds.
• Móm: if you have no valid meld, you may chốt without xoè (no need to spread cards). Hands marked móm stay face-down at round end.
• Gửi bài (optional): after hạ, send leftover cards into other players’ declared melds when legal.
• You may hạ additional melds later if more form in hand (including after ăn).

Ù

• Ù: all cards are in melds (typically 9 after discard, or 10 for Ù tròn after draw/eat).
• Ù ends the round immediately for that player as the winner.
• Ù gửi: clearing your hand by sending the last cards into melds.

Scoring

• Deadwood = sum of leftover card ranks (A=1 … K=13).
• Extractable melds still in hand are peeled before scoring so they do not inflate points.
• Ù ranks first. With the default house rule, móm ranks last.
• Equal scores: whoever chốt / hạ later wins the tie (first to chốt ranks behind).

Optional house rules (in-app)

• Play direction (CW / CCW)
• Allow gửi bài
• Allow Q–K–A runs
• Reveal every hand at round end (móm still stays face-down)
• Ăn chốt / Đền / Tái (configured in settings; some are experimental)

Tóm tắt tiếng Việt

• 4 người, bộ bài 52 lá; mỗi người 9 lá, người đi trước có 10 lá.
• Phỏm = sảnh đồng chất hoặc bộ cùng số (3–4 lá).
• Mỗi lượt: bốc hoặc ăn → đánh 1 lá.
• Lượt cuối phải hạ phỏm (nếu có). Móm có thể đánh chốt không cần xoè bài.
• Ù khi hết bài trong phỏm. Điểm = tổng bài rác; điểm thấp hơn xếp trên.